Competitive Advantage
by Turtle00001
Summary: Kmeme Prompt-ME3 Dr. Michel, the Normandy's new resident doctor, happens to be the only one who isn't aware of Garrus' relationship with the Commanding Officer. Shepard doesn't take kindly to open attempts by other women to woo her man.
1. Chapter 1

AN: So, this story is based on a prompt from the mass effect kink meme regarding the Dr. Michel's crush on Garrus. To break down the prompt:

Shepard hired Dr. Michel instead of Chakwas. Michel is head over heels for a very unavailable Garrus. Shepard decides to put her down lightly on his behalf.

Full prompt at: http:/ /masseffectkink. livejournal. com/ 4309. html?thread =9371861# t9371861 (without the spaces)

This is a finished story, just posting it here as I revise chapters. There might be some timeline errors, but its just a bit of side humor so I hope you'll forgive!

**Competitive Advantage**

_Chapter 1_

* * *

Dr. Chloe Michel was still not entirely sure she'd made the right decision, joining the Normandy crew, but she was determined to make the best of it. It certainly was an amazing opportunity, assuming she wasn't killed, but then again, she supposed she was just as likely to be killed anywhere else at this point. But after everything was said and done, being able to say she had served alongside Commander Shepard... Now that was a story you got to tell your grandchildren about.

Chloe moved around her med bay, organizing and reorganizing until she was happy with the lay out. She had no idea why Dr. Chakwas hadn't been chosen for the position, but then again, it wasn't her place to ask. Oh how she used to envy Chakwas... For the past three years she'd tenderly dreamed about what it would have been like to serve on the Normandy SR-1 with the heroes of the Battle of the Citadel... Shepard, Williams, Moreau... and...

She felt her face flush as she sighed, cupping her cheeks in her hands. Garrus Vakarian. The name alone was enough to send shivers down her spine. Officer Garrus Vakarian. Her knight in shining armor.

She'd spent two and a half years searching the extranet for any sign of him, and finally managed to contact him a few months ago. He'd been on Palaven, but they hadn't had much time to catch up, and she had no idea if he was still there, or even if he was still alive. But she'd heard rumors over the past few months that he'd served on on the Normandy after Shepard's miraculous resurrection, and she had to admit that one of the main reasons why she'd let the Commander convince her to come aboard was to see if perhaps he was serving there again.

She sighed again, put down the medications she was holding, and looked at the datapads laid out on her desk. One of them was a list of all personnel aboard the Normandy, but she was too nervous to look. Oh, what she wouldn't give to turn one on and see _his_ name listed there, with a picture of his handsome face and... She giggled girlishly. Her family definitely wouldn't take well to a relationship between her and a turian, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered when you were in love... She could already picture it. Garrus, stepping through the med bay doors, his beautiful blue-gray eyes alight with passion as they landed on her. He'd stride forward, pulling her into his strong embrace. She'd run her fingers along his mandibles and...

"Seriously, Vakarian? That's bull and you know it." The voice, muffled by the glass between her and the mess hall, was met with a low chuckle, and Chloe's eyes shot up. Could it be?

In front of her was the very turian she'd just been day dreaming of.


	2. Chapter 2

.

**Competitive Advantage**

_Chapter 2_

* * *

Garrus chuckled at Ashley's annoyed, albeit amused, expression. They hadn't always gotten along so well, but they'd come to a mutual respect over the years. The laughter stopped, however, when he heard a frantic tapping on glass, and looked up from his midday meal to see, of all people, Dr. Michel tapping on the med bay windows. She smiled at him and waved, and he felt a chunk of ice land in his belly.

"Shit." He muttered as he quickly piled his dishes onto his tray, and stood up in order to deposit them in the sink and make his get away.

"Garrus! What a surprise! I hadn't expected to see you here!" He released a breath he'd been holding, and his shoulders slumped in defeat as he turned to face the small doctor.

"Dr. Michel. Good to see you. How have you been?" He asked as evenly as he could as he placed his tray back down on the table in front of him. Ashley's eyebrows jumped and she gasped lightly.

"Dr. Michel? You're the one who ran that clinic on the Citadel back when we were gathering evidence about Saren. What are you doing aboard the Normandy?" Garrus decided that was a very good question.

"Commander Shepard hired me on as the ship's Doctor! I'm still getting situated and unpacked. I hadn't even gotten a chance to look over the personnel list! What a pleasant surprise to see you both. Garrus, I'm so happy to see you alive!" She opened her arms wide, and she moved as if to wrap them around him, and his mind flashed to a moment, months ago.

_It was a fairly normal occurrence for Shepard to make her way down to the main battery and spend time perched upon one of the crates there as they chatted for however long she felt like staying. Today was no different, except that she had this shit-eating grin on her face, and he could not for the life of him figure out what it was about. But he waited, deciding that if it was something she wanted to share, she would. And of course, she did, eventually._

"_So, I got a message today. From a mutual acquaintance of ours."_

"_Is that so?"_

"_Yep. Thought you might be interested. You remember Dr. Chloe Michel, from the Citadel?"_

"_Yeah, she ran the clinic on the Citadel. She was a contact of mine for awhile when I was in C-Sec." She raised an eyebrow, and leaned back in an almost calculatedly casual manner._

"_So, just a contact, eh? Because she sure seemed excited to get in touch with you..." Garrus heard the unspoken suggestion in her tone of voice, and he turned to face her, one of his eye-ridges quirking up in that funny human expression he'd picked up some time ago._

"_Really, Shepard? You know I'm not into humans." He muttered, and it was her turn to quirk an eye brow up, her grin only growing wider._

"_Well then, I'd watch out if I were you. If this message is any indication, then you've certainly got at least one very eager fan." She wiggled her eyebrows in a decidedly suggestive way, and he was very happy turians couldn't blush in horror or embarrassment._

Garrus' hands shot out, keeping the smaller doctor at arms reach. Her arms fell to her sides, but she continued chattering on about how wonderful it was to be on the Normandy and how she was looking forward to getting to know them all. He took a step back, and glanced over at Ashley, who had a hand covering her mouth, and he got the distinct feeling that she was trying not to laugh.

Suddenly he felt a soft, cool sensation on his arm, and his back went ram rod strait as he looked back at Dr. Michel. She had placed a delicate hand upon his upper arm, and was talking much more quietly now. He would never pretend to be an expert on humans or their mannerisms, but during the course of the last year, he'd gotten fairly good at reading human come-ons thanks to Shepard and her increasingly bold (and maddeningly arousing) attempts "to make him blush". Garrus definitely recognized the soft caress, the lower, huskier tone of voice, and the heavily lidded eyes. He was becoming more and more uncomfortable by the moment, and he needed to get out of there _now._

"-Look, Dr. Michel, its been good to catch up, but I have uh... Calibrations that I need to finish up and... uh I'll see you later." He extracted himself from her grip, and hurriedly backed up toward the elevator, her expression confused and Ashley's silent chuckles no longer quite so silent.


	3. Chapter 3

.

**Competitive Advantage**

_Chapter 3_

* * *

Chloe had not anticipated how shy Garrus would be, but it was a pleasant surprise. Knowing that the battle hardened ex-cop had a softer, slightly more awkward side was endearing. What _did_ disappoint her was how little she saw of the man of her dreams during her day to day routine. During the day shift, she sometimes saw him coming or going from the main battery, but he was never able to stop and talk, always having somewhere important to be or something important to do. It did make sense, after all, since he was no doubt a very important member of the crew, and thus very busy. She had figured, though, that she would see him during meals, but more often then not she caught a glimpse of him heading to the elevator, enough food piled upon his tray for two people. It also made sense that such a busy man had quite the appetite, but where on earth was he taking it all? The only times when he was seen eaten in the mess hall, after that first day, was when most of the rest of the crew was there as well, including Commander Shepard.

Today was no different then usual, and Chloe recognized no one at the table other than the resident asari, Liara T'soni. Grabbing some pre packaged food, she went to sit down across from the blue 'woman'.

"Dr. Michel. Did you have a good day?" Liara asked with a smile before returning to her datapad, her food mostly untouched. Chloe alternated between taking bites of her bland dinner and talking about her equally bland day. After a few minutes though, she'd run out of topics with which she had in common with the other doctor. The silence stretched on awkwardly for a few minutes before she realized the asari might have some insights into Garrus's daily routine.

"-Its just, I barely ever see him relaxing out here like I see some of the other crew members. As his doctor, of course, I believe it is my responsibility to help him unwind and relieve stress." Liara, who had been taking a bight of some orange colored substance, sputtered and nearly chocked. She hurriedly took a sip of water, and Chloe added "For the good of his health, of course!"

"I.. yes, well..."

"I was thinking maybe I could arrange for a nice, private dinner, or maybe he would join me for drinks in the lounge? You've been his friend and crew mate over the years, so you know what sort of things he likes, yes?" Liara shifted her eyes to the side and gave the matter some thought, and Chloe smiled in anticipation of her expected answer.

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea, actually." Chloe's shoulders slumped, and she looked down, wondering what else she could think of that Garrus might find romantic. She should do some more research, see what turian culture included and... Her eyes snapped up, wide and alarmed as she brought her hands up to cover her mouth.

"He isn't attracted to humans, is he? Why hadn't I considered that? Oh my goodness..." Sorrow flooded through her as she realized her horrible mistake. Her thoughts were interrupted by Liara's soft giggle, and she relaxed a bit as the asari smiled somewhat awkwardly.

"No, no I definitely wouldn't say that, exactly..." Joy quickly replaced Chloe's pain as she jumped to her feet, a smile spreading across her face as she took Liara's hands in hers.

"Oh thank, Dr. T'soni! If you'll excuse me, I have an idea and I want to get to it immediately!" She quickly gathered up her dishes, deposited them in the sink, and started toward the elevator.

"Dr. Michel, there's something you shou-" Liara had been standing to follow, but Chloe gestured for her to sit down again.

"Don't you worry, I can handle this on my own from here. I really appreciate all of your advice!" And with that, she hurried out of the mess hall and toward the elevator.

* * *

Liara watched as the young human hurried from the room, and considered following. Instead, she sat down, and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Maybe I should just tell Shepard..."


	4. Chapter 4

.

**Competitive Advantage**

_Chapter 4_

* * *

James Vega spent a good chunk of his time in the makeshift gym of the Normandy's cargo bay everyday. A good deal happens in the cargo bay, often including shuttle repair and upkeep, sparing matches between various crew members, weapon cleaning and modification, and supply acquisition and distribution. It wasn't entirely odd to see little Dr. Chloe Michel down there, but as far as James knew, there weren't any medical supplies in the shipment they'd just picked up. Out of curiosity, he donned his shirt and made his way over to where she was standing. As he got closer, he saw that she was anxiously hovering behind Steve Cortez, who was rummaging around in a box of miscellaneous supplies from the most recent shipment. Just as he came to a halt next to them, Cortez let out a "ah ha!" before standing up holding a small box. Turning around, he held it out to the doctor.

"Here you go," He stated, placing the box in her hands, "One box of dextro-amino chocolates in various flavors. Not sure what these flavors are, but I'm sure they're fairly normal." Dr. Michel clutched the box to her chest, a huge smile dancing across her face. "Sorry it took so long, they're not exactly common, so I had to do some searching in order to find them."

"Oh thank you so much! Its not a problem, I'm just happy you were able to get any." As the two continued to chat, James realized, with a sinking feeling, that there was currently only one dextro-amino eating person on board the Normandy. And he was fairly certain that the Commander was _not_ going to appreciate another woman giving her man chocolates. He opened his mouth to tell her this, but Cortez beat him to the punch.

"So, exactly what are your plans for those?" Her face flushed red, and she responded after looking down at the box that she held reverently in her palms.

"Oh, they're just a small gift for Garrus. He saved my life, you know, and I wanted to show him my appreciation."

"I thought that happened like 3 years ago." James pointed out, and the doctor just giggled, covering her mouth with a dainty hand.

"Oh, I know, but that doesn't mean I don't still... appreciate him." James deadpanned and decided he officially had no idea how to handle this situation gracefully. The two men watched as she entered the elevator, waved good bye, and the door closed. '_Well,_ s_hes your problem now, Lola.'_


	5. Chapter 5

.

**Competitive Advantage**

_Chapter 5_

* * *

Shepard couldn't justify relaxing during her off duty hours often, but Garrus was starting to make a point of forcing her to stop work every now and then. When he was stuck in meetings with the Primarch he usually found one of the other crew members to help enforce this. Tonight he had _asked_ (assigned) Ashley and Liara to _spend time with_ (watch) her, and they'd ended up in the lounge playing poker with James. As she took a swig of her beer and glanced at her cards, she had to admit it was nice to unwind a little with friends.

"This isn't fair. You're like a walking talking brick wall, Lola. Completely impossible to read." James scoffed as he folded. Shepard smirked as the man leaned back, crossing his arms.

"Its all in the body language, LT. You'll learn, eventually, I'm sure." Shepard drawled as the game continued, and Ashley smiled as Liara shifted uncomfortably in her spot, fiddling with her cards. They might have only been playing for pocket change, but Shepard would be the first to admit to having a bit of a competitive streak. She didn't lose often, and she liked it that way. But, after winning the past three hands, she was expecting her luck to run out fairly soon. She did have a bit of an advantage, seeing as how Liara had almost no idea what she was doing, Ashley was an open book, and James... Well. He never seemed to win much. Though, looking down at her hand, Shepard decided she would need to maintain her calm and confident facade to win this round.

"Speaking of body language, Shepard, I noticed something the other day that you might find... worthy of your concern." Liara's chimed in a moment later, he voice suspiciously even.

"Is that so?" Shepard suspected that the asari was trying to distract her and find a crack in her bravado, so she maintained an off handed interest.

"Yeah, Skipper. You might want to keep an eye on Garrus, seeing as how we have a crew member actively perusing him in a, uh... romantic manner." Ashley added, and Shepard chuckled, instantly understanding.

"I trust Garrus well enough to know that I don't think there will be any problems, even if Michel is a little... amorous. Not to mention, our relationship isn't exactly a secret. If she wants to take a crack at him, she knows where I am." Shepard leaned forward to place her bet before leaning back, draping an arm across the back of the couch.

"I don't know, Shepard." Liara added, leaning forward, "She was asking me questions about Garrus' interests during dinner the other day. I'm fairly positive that she has no idea that he's currently in a relationship, let alone one with you. She, uh... expressed interest in-" She coughed awkwardly, "helping him 'relieve some stress'." Shepard's eyebrows jumped up, but she caught her jaw before it fell to the ground.

"Huh." Was all she said, but inside her something was rearing its ugly head. Michel wanted to 'relieve his stress', did she?

"Her first day on board, actually, she accosted him in the mess hall. She was pretty much just draping herself all over him. Poor Vakarian was not happy. I think he nearly tripped trying to escape." Ashley laughed, but her eyes never left her Commander's. Shepard leveled each of them with her least amused stare, before looking down at her cards again.

"If you guys think that distracting me is going to break my winning streak, you've got another thing coming." The thought that she would lose Garrus to the doctor was downright ridiculous, but that didn't mean she liked the idea of a competitor in any regard.

"Actually, Lola, they have a good point. Apparently she ordered a box of dextro-amino chocolates for him. If I didn't know better, I'd say you've got yourself a rival, chica." Shepard felt her eye twitch. The straw that broke the proverbial camel's back.


	6. Chapter 6

.

**Competitive Advantage**

_Chapter 6_

* * *

"Dr. Michel, do you have a moment?" She leaned back in her desk chair and glanced at her fish for a split second. After a moment, her com sprang to life with the response.

"Of course, Commander. How can I help?" Shepard bit her lip lightly, considering. She knew she was above this, but... She grinned.

"I was wondering if you had a free moment. My shoulder's been bothering me lately, more than usual, and I want you to take a look at it."

"Not a problem Commander! I'm free right now if you want to come by the med bay."

"I'll be right down." Still grinning, Shepard closed the com link, and pulled on her hoodie before heading to the elevator. _Time to see how much you know about turian relations..._ Moments later she arrived in the nearly empty med bay, and was greeted by the young doctor. She gestured to Shepard to take a seat on the edge of one of the beds.

"I'm going to give you a quick scan first, then I'll examine your shoulder, if that's okay." Shepard nodded, and waited as Dr. Michel passed her omni-tool between them. "Huh, your implants seem to be working fine... If you could remove your shirt, I'll take a closer look." Shepard's lips curled up in a half smile as the doctor hit the button for the window blinds. Dr. Michel circled around to stand behind her as Shepard removed her hoodie and pulled her tee shirt over her head... and then heard the expected gasp.

"My goodness, Commander. You've got quite the collection of scars." She felt light fingers trace over some of the claw marks along her back, "You've definitely seen your fair share of battles. Though, some of these look more like..." The fingers ghosted over Garrus' bite marks on the base of her neck. Dr. Michel quickly retracted her fingers. Shepard turned her head to glance back at the doctor, who had a considerate look on her face. "Commander, " She started slowly, "Do you, perhaps, happen to... Have you..." Her face flushed a bit, "Are you in a relationship with a turian?" She blurted out finally, and Shepard could swear she almost smelled victory.

"Why, yes I am. Why do you ask?"

"Some of these scars seem, erhm... well. They appear to be claw marks. And this one up here-" She pointed to the bite mark, "Appears to be a characteristic bite mark generally left during the act of... umm.. mating." Her voice trailed off in a small squeak. And now all she had to do was put two and two together and... "I suppose I'm not entirely surprised. Turians do hold a very particular appeal. And you do spend a good deal of time coming and going from the Citadel. Those C-Sec officers certainly are something, arn't they?" The doctor giggled as she resuming her examination of Shepard's shoulder. Shepard found herself preventing her jaw from hitting the floor for the second time in so many days. _Seriously?_

"And you have no interest in who, exactly, it is that I'm seeing?" She raised an eyebrow at Dr. Michel, trying to prompt her into asking.

"Oh, don't be silly, Commander. I can understand why you would want to keep that sort of thing quiet. Having an affair with a turian could be damaging to your carrier with the Alliance, or his career where ever it is that he works. I understand how that is, and so I won't pry!" She smiled up at Shepard sweetly, and Shepard couldn't decide if she was aggravated or amused by the situation. _So much for __the taste of victory._

After a few minutes of Dr. Michel massaging her shoulder (which honestly had been feeling stiff) Shepard returned to her quarters. She didn't want to out right tell the other woman to back off, there really wasn't any fun in that... So she had a backup plan.

"EDI, I've got a favor you could do for me."


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Almost done, folks, just two chapters left! I'll continue my work on my other story, Sister Complex, but once that's finished I'll probably start on a few shorter fills like this one. Let me know what you think! :)

_Warning: This chapter is for a slightly more mature audience. Its not very explicit, but let me know if you'd like the rating changed to M. Thanks all!_

**Competitive Advantage**

_Chapter 7_

* * *

The next day, Chloe sat at her desk in the med bay, considering the box of chocolates in front of her. She wanted to present them to Garrus in the best, most romantic way possible. But if he really was as shy as he appeared to be, she was going to need to get him at a time when he couldn't escape first.

"Dr. Michel, if you are not busy, I have a task for you." Chloe jumped at the interruption to her thoughts, and glanced around for the source of the metallic voice. Realizing that it had come from the com speakers, she relaxed.

"Of course EDI, how can I help?" She pushed back from the desk and stood up, placing the chocolates back in her desk drawer.

"My scanners show that the first aid kit aboard the shuttle is out of medi-gel. Alliance regulation states that each first aid kit must be kept restocked and supplied before each mission. Commander Shepard has assigned Lieutenant Cortez to another task today, and I would appreciate it if you could restock the shuttle's medi-gel dispenser."

"I'll be right down in a moment." The doctor responded, making her way to the supply cupboard. Taking out a box of medi-gel dispenser refills, she closed the cupboard again and made her way to the elevator. Stepping inside, she hit the button for the cargo bay, whistled a little tune to herself as she waited and a moment later the door open. Analyzing the scene in front of her, she froze.

Commander Shepard was sitting upon the weapon modification table in a state of partial undress, her hoodie discarded on the floor, her bra no where to be seen, and her tee shirt was hiked up to expose her chest to the cool air of the cargo bay. Her legs were splayed to the sides, pants unzipped, and the largest shock of all was the identity of the turian who was pressed up close to her, his hand buried deep in her lacy underwear, moving rhythmical between the Commander's legs. His other hand was carefully massaging one of the gasping woman's breasts in slow circles, and even with his face nuzzling Shepard's neck, the doctor recognized her favorite gray plated ex-cop. Garrus, she realized, was completely shirtless, and one of Shepard's hands was rubbing a spot at the base of his fringe, the other wrapped around his waist, her finger nails digging into the softer hide there.

Chloe didn't know if she was starring in horror or fascination, but she couldn't manage to pull her eyes away from the couple in front of her. Shepard gasped again, moaning something that the doctor couldn't quite make out, which was followed by a low chuckle from the turian. The medi-gel all but forgotten, Chloe continued to watch as Shepard's breathy moans grew in intensity and urgency, her back arching ever so slightly. Garrus picked up his pace, his fingers plunging into her faster and harder, and Chloe's knees weakened and her grip on the box started to slip. She felt her face flush with heat as she registered a deep aching in her own core. A few moments later, Shepard let out a muffled cry as she came, pulling Garrus in closer and wrapping her legs around him. Chloe's grip on the box finally failed, and the package clattered to the ground, scattering the contents with a loud _crash!_ Two sets of eyes shot up to land on her, and for a moment all she could do was stand there, a deer in the head lights.

"I...I.. um.. _ohmygoodness_-" Her face burned in humiliation as she snapped her eyes to the floor. No one else moved as she bent down, replaced everything back in the box with lightning speed, and quickly stood up and spammed the 'close door' button as fast as she could.


	8. Chapter 8

.

**Competitive Advantage**

_Chapter 8_

* * *

Garrus had mixed feelings regarding what had happened the day before in the cargo bay.

He was slightly mortified at being caught with his hand stuffed down the front of his commanding officer's pants. It wasn't that he and Shepard hadn't gotten a little hot and heavy in various places around the Normandy before, but they were usually better about not being spotted. However, later that afternoon, he'd stumbled upon the shuttle's missing medi-gel packets hidden beneath Shepard's desk, and was able to piece together what had happened with some reluctant help from EDI.

In turian culture, it wasn't entirely unusual for women to fight over a man. In fact, it happened probably more often than the other way around. But every turian was trained in hand to hand combat at a young age, where as not every human was. Shepard had gone about staking her claim in a much more peaceful, though rather unorthodox (but effective) manner. The thought that she felt strongly enough that she decided to warn off another potentially interested mate was... endearing? Fucking hot? He wasn't quite sure, but he was definitely surprised. Shepard was such a laid back person in regards to their relationship, that seeing her devious ploy to deter Dr. Michel's advances sparked something that gave him a fluttery feeling in his belly.

He felt bad for the doctor, of course. He wasn't blind to her affection for him, but there was never going to be anything other than friendship between them. And even that was iffy right now. He hadn't seen hide nor hair of her all yesterday afternoon or today, and he got the distinct feeling that she was now the one avoiding him. It was probably for the best that way.

He finished gathering up the supplies for his and Shepard's dinners, and was piling them onto a tray when he heard the shuffling of feet behind him. He turned around and came face to face with Dr. Chloe Michel, and in her hands was a small box of chocolates. He read the label and realized that they were probably for him.

"Dr. Michel, I... I can't take those. You know I can't." She looked down and sighed before shifting her feet awkwardly and responding.

"I'm not giving them to you as a romantic gesture. I understand you're... in a relationship with Shepard. Please take them as a gesture of friendship, because I hope we can at least have that much." She didn't meet his eyes, but he smiled. After a moment, he plucked the small box from her hands.

"Of course, Dr. Mich-"

"Please, call me Chloe. All my closest friends do." She smiled finally, though it looked somewhat pained.

"Of course, Chloe."

"Sorry about... you know... yesterday. I feel really stupid. But I wish you and Shepard the best of luck, I really do." Garrus was about to respond when she finally met his eyes, and her smile became somewhat impish. "And you know, if you both are ever feeling adventurous and are looking for a third..." She winked, and Garrus nearly choked.

"_Thank Chloe, that's enough!_" He grabbed his tray and dashed to the elevator as quick as he could without dropping anything, her laughter following him all the way down the hall.


	9. Chapter 9

.

**Competitive Advantage**

_Chapter 9_

* * *

Shepard looked up from her datapad as Garrus stepped into the room. She was curled up on her neatly made bed surrounded by other datapads filled with various data, and he made his way over to her, his hands occupied by a very full tray. It was becoming a usual thing that he would bring both their dinners upstairs, and as nice as it was to share a private meal with him, she suspected he had two ulterior motives: Insuring she wasn't skipping meals, and making sure he wasn't caught alone in the mess hall by a certain doctor. She pushed aside the datapads to make space for him on the bed, and he sat down, handing her the tray. She immediately noticed the box of chocolates, and she felt her eyebrow twitch. Garrus must have noticed it as well because he chuckled a moment later.

"Don't worry, they were a peace offering, nothing more."

"Is that so." He grabbed the box and tossed it onto the couch with a flick of his wrist.

"I'm probably not going to even eat them. Not the biggest fan of fruit fillings." Shepard smiled, but stopped when she caught Garrus watching her.

"What?" She challenged as his eyes refused to leave hers.

"I know you lured her down stairs in order to run into us yesterday." Shepard didn't respond, waiting for him to continue. After a moment, he did. "You know very well that she was never any threat to you. To us."

"Yeah, I know..."

"If you didn't want her displaying her interest in me, why didn't you just talk to her? Tell her to stop? I know sometimes you have a tendency to bypass diplomacy, but those are usually very different types of situations than this." The last part was said with enough lightheartedness that Shepard relaxed a bit.

"I know I was being childish and petty... But I've never really been that good at talking to others about my personal life. And I may have a little bit of a vindictive streak..." He snorted and leaned forward to gently lean his forehead against hers, humming softly. She pushed the tray of food onto her bedside table as one of his hands came up to stroke her cheek lightly.

"Well, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit turned on by the display..." Her grin was slightly feral, and his fingers found the hem of her shirt.

"Oh really?"

The tray sat there untouched for quite some time.

* * *

AN: So that's it. Feels good to finish something :) Thank you everyone for reading! Feel free to leave a review and tell me about what you did or didn't like, 'cause I love to hear from you all.


End file.
